The Essence of Life
by Emi Violet
Summary: To live, to laugh, to find happiness. A series of drabbles based on the canon RK universe. Mostly Kenshin/Kaoru.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. I'm just someone with an overactive imagination, so please don't sue. :)

Baiting

He awoke to silence.

The morning light, white and harsh, streamed through the thin windows. He peered through bleary eyes and sat up abruptly. Chilly air brushed across his body, chasing away remnants of sleep from the night before. For the first time that day, he noticed he could only hear and sense his own slow breathing and the ki rippling beneath his skin. Somewhere in the deep confines of his mind, he knew, and one glance at the unoccupied side of the futon confirmed his suspicions.

Drawing in a breath, Kenshin darted over to the door when the sound of crinkling paper reached his ears. A folded note had been carelessly shoved beneath the door, a corner of it bent from the force exerted upon it. He ripped it away from its place with more intensity than intended and slid the door open in one fluid motion. A gust of icy wind stalled him from running outside, but he was able to feel whomever had left the note nearby. The messenger's ki, small as it was, flared with determination and a hint of hostility. A boy, perhaps. Only a child. Fresh footprints in the soft snow leading to a pine tree betrayed the chosen hiding spot, but Kenshin closed the door then. There was no point in going after him.

He had read the note, convinced yet needing to be unconvinced of her absence. It gave him vague instructions, but it was frighteningly clear about one thing.

_Battousai._

_ We have her._

He slid his katana and wakizashi, long unused for purposes such as the ones he had in mind, through his sash. His hands clenched and unclenched with anticipation. The note had been tossed on the floor close to the futon in a brief fit of frustration. There would be resistance, he imagined. But it did not matter, it never had.

That moment they shared by the fire, wrapped in blankets and in each other's embrace, was recent. But through the course of the morning, the finer details from the evening gradually grew hazy as if he were recalling them from a distant dream or a fragmented memory. Tiny slivers of it arose here and there: the brush of her dark hair against his face, the faint traces of her perfume, the watchful look in her pearl eyes—sometimes sorrowful, but mostly indecipherable. They all taunted him as he prepared to find her, to take her back. He had promised to protect and save her from any more suffering. And he intended to stay true to his word.

Kenshin reached down to grab the note before exiting the small, rural house. It was crumpled mercilessly in his hand as he moved forward into the blinding winter world.

_I will protect my wife._

_

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_Author's Note:

This is just something I wrote to help me ease into creative writing. I don't have much experience writing, but I do it because I enjoy it. Thank you for reading, and please leave a review! I'd like to know what you think and how to improve my writing!_  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, but I do, however, like to put the characters in awkward situations. They will be returned mostly unharmed :)

This takes place after Kenshin's battle with Shishiou.

Rest

Eyes—large, blue, and fathomless—hovered over him in the darkness. A pair of disembodied orbs. They glowed, moved side to side as if with hesitation, and then drifted closer to his face. He was still groggy with sleep, his mind muddling truth and reality. The flow of time had slowed until every heartbeat was stretched out, and the eyes remained there, staring at him. And so, he decided with a small sigh that they weren't there at all—after all, it wasn't clear to him if he were still asleep or not—and shifted away from their gaze to seep back into his dreams in peace.

A flame flickered to life somewhere next to him, the light burning away the shadows behind his lids. It was warm, too warm and stifling. Thin fingers brushed strands of his loose hair away from his face and he was startled by how cold they were against his forehead. The feeling was pleasant, and he tried to utter a few words of approval; however, his efforts were wasted when the sentence floated out of his mouth, incoherent and jumbled. Someone was whispering to him, the breathy voice sounding distant, and the fingers gently slid down the length of his face.

"Kenshin." The word, his name, echoed. He was able to detect the slightest hint of panic. It was too familiar. _Please, don't worry._

For reasons unexplained, he was able to free his arm from the layers of heavy blankets wrapped tightly around him despite his exhaustion. His entire body ached and he could feel the stiffness in his joints, the grinding of his bones against one another with every movement. He sucked in a breath that must have been heard, because the same fingers from before were soon wrapped loosely around the heated skin of his arm.

"Kaoru…dono," he managed to force out past dry lips. His eyes fluttered open for a moment, but shut again without catching a glimpse of her.

"Please, rest." It was whispered softly, an unspoken command. She released his arm then, and Kenshin missed its presence dearly. A wet, frigid rag was placed over his eyes and forehead, instantly soothing him, and he stilled.

"Please, Kenshin," she ground out a little more fiercely. He could hear her reaching for his hand, could feel her clasping it between both her palms. She carefully pulled it closer to her, his fingers grazing the ends of her hair. Her breathing was shallow and ragged, and the warm puffs of air she exhaled dusted across his knuckles. Moisture from the cloth on his head dripped down the sides of his face, but it went unnoticed. Once again, sleep was beginning to cloud his mind, tempting and sweet. But he hadn't fully succumb to it yet, and was conscious of the tiny droplets that fell upon his hand. With every one that fell, his heart ached.

_This one is sorry for making you suffer._

He was going to rest, and he was going to live. For himself, for her, for everyone else.

* * *

Author's Note:

Many thanks to Jasmine blossom625 and donhisiewen for reviewing and everyone for reading! I enjoyed writing this drabble, but ending it was difficult. I re-wrote it several times before I settled with the one I have now. Reviews are greatly appreciated! I'd like to improve my writing skills, so constructive criticism is more than welcome (just no flames, please!)


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** So, it's the usual again. I don't own Rurouni Kenshin...

Perseverance

He stood there with his feet anchored to the ground, a short statue clutching a wooden sword in his tiny hands. His mouth was drawn in a tight line, his eyes burning and focused. They were directed toward him with all the fierce intensity a ten-year old could muster. It was a serious expression fraught with certainty, one Hiko had never seen him wear before. Perhaps, his deshi thought it was the face of determination a warrior used. Amused, the corners of Hiko's mouth turned upward.

Within the space of a breath, the boy was moving, dashing forward with surprising agility. The jarring impact of wood against wood shook his small body and forced him to stumble backward a few steps. He quickly regained his footing and slipped into an offensive stance in preparation to strike again. Hiko read each movement with ease, watched as he brandished his bokken and held on to it as if it were the source of his life. And with a grimace, he assessed the unstable footwork and balance. Those were things they had to work on. The boy closed the distance between them and swung, only to slice the air as his target parried. With a grunt, Hiko brought his own sword down effortlessly where it landed as intended. The sparring ended as soon as it began.

"You were leaving yourself open," he spoke to the bowed head before him, his voice low with more than a touch of impatience.

Kenshin rubbed his injured shoulder with his hand, his violet eyes wide with something synonymous with shock. There was sure to be a bruise tomorrow. For a brief moment, guilt overshadowed Hiko's thoughts as the boy raised his red head to stare at him with those wide eyes of his, but he brushed it aside with a dismissive sigh.

"We will finish this tomorrow," he said before Kenshin could lift his sword again. It took a moment for the words to break through his daze, but when they did, the shock on his face melted seamlessly into frustration, and Hiko disinterestedly observed the transformation.

"Shishou! But I almost—"

"Enough. If you were not able to land a blow today, then it's pointless to continue." Hiko turned away from the child while listening to him grumble with displeasure. And as Kenshin stalked away to the nearby stream to wash away the grime and dirt collected from the entire afternoon of training, he resisted the urge to smile. His footsteps were loud and heavy just to spite him.

"The baka deshi," he muttered, "will never learn."

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Author's Note:

I apologize for not updating frequently! This past week has been particularly overwhelming, and I've been buried in schoolwork. Well, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please write a review! Concrit is welcome, too.

Thank you to my reviewers: Scarred Sword Heart, donhisiewen, SRAS9, Syolen, and Jasmine blossom625. And thank you to all the other readers for taking your time and reading my drabbles!


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